Punishments Handed Down in Italian Match Fixing Scandal

XIII said:
God knows how long its been going on.

Exactly, It could have been going on forever or for just two seasons. Nobody knows so we can't say.

Even then, they were not fixing games, just influencing which ref they had.
 
dynamicv said:
OK, Italian football's top league is Serie A, the next one down is Serie B, then you have multiple serie Cs divided by geography. Only Serie A sides ever compete internationally, where there are millions of pounds (or billions of rand :p ) at stake for every match. These four clubs have been punished by taking them out of the Italian top flight and have been moved a league lower. Therefore they will lose millions in lost TV revenue, and cannot realistically qualify for international competition for at least another two season, further punishing their finances.

The minus points thing means they start next season with a penalty. As their current teams are made up of Serie A standard players, without this it would be likely they would dominate the lower league and immediately earn promotion. The penalty acts as a handicap to ensure that other Serie B teams still have the same chance of promotion they would otherwise get.

EDIT: Last of the responses. Blame the mojitos :D


All of this thread is rather accademical since the FIGC sentece was only the first level and all teams involved have announced appeals. The second trial is expected to finish on the 25th
 
ScubaDuc said:
All of this thread is rather academical since the FIGC sentece was only the first level and all teams involved have announced appeals. The second trial is expected to finish on the 25th
True, but whatever happens all clubs are out of the European competitiions. Italy wants to punish those that get caught. Over the past 50 years the country has had too much corruption. The people are sick of it.
 
XIII said:
It's very possible they just haven't been caught match fixing until now.. God knows how long its been going on.
Didn't Milan and Lazio get caught cheating right around 1980...and they were relegated then to...?
 
ham_man said:
Didn't Milan and Lazio get caught cheating right around 1980...and they were relegated then to...?
Yep. They were both relegated to Serie B in 1980 over illegal betting made on their own matches.

Lazio were also hit with a points deduction in the mid-1980s over other corrupt practices. So it's fair to say they both have form when it comes to dodgy dealings.
 
Me like. Me like very much. To throw in a bit of Americana, if there is one school that will never, ever, allow its football team to seriously violate NCAA rules again it is SMU. I expect that the ownership of these 4 teams will control their minions in much the same way.

I would have loved to see the Death Penalty (plus relegation to Serie D or whatever the lowest league is) imposed on the most guilty of the group (I guess Juve). It crushed the Mustangs, it would have crushed the Zebras. It has taken years, but they are working their way back up. A professional club would eventually work its way back up.
 
BakedBeans said:
Know much about the history of football do you?

Yes, a hell of a lot.

^look, it isn' hard to be a patronising so 'n' so is it?^

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BakedBeans said:
They have been a very successful club throughout history, not just the last couple of years.

FleurDuMal said:
And what about everything they won before the match fixing? They've been a succesful club for many, many decades now.

Did you watch the World Cup Final on BBC1? In the pre-match build-up they interviewed Gianluca Vialli, and asked for his opinion on the Serie A scandal. He was asked whether the match-fixing scandal came as a suprise to him.

He smiled & said: "Look, there has always been something a little funny about the goings on in Serie A". [I might be paraphrasing slightly - can't remember exactly]

If you are naive enough to think that corruption in Serie A has only ever occurred in the '04-'05 & '05-'06 seasons, then might I suggest that you are the one who "doesn't know the history of football".

The scandal taints far more that just the results of the past 2 seasons. Or, to put it another way:

XIII said:
It's very possible they just haven't been caught match fixing until now.. God knows how long its been going on.

Maybe you should read up on the details of the case, because if you did then you would see just how far up Serie A this corruption goes, and how deeply embedded it seems to have been.

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Match fixing is the worst crime that a club can commit. In many senses it's even worse than hooliganism. It is an intentional attempt to devalue and debase the most beautiful competitive sport in the world. It is a disgrace.

The punishments were certainly not too harsh. If anything AC Milan's punishment is too lenient - though it's hardly suprising, seeing as how the club president is Silvio Berlusconi, one of the most powerful men in Italy.

I used to really like Italian football. I still remember watching the old "Gazetta Football Italia" on Channel 4 on Saturday mornings. And I was always impressed at the quite spectacular quality of football on display - which far outshone what we had in the Premiership.

But for all Serie A's quality, it is difficult to have much respect for Serie A as a competitive league right now. And that is the fault of Juventus, Lazio, Fiorentia & AC Milan (and I'm sure some individuals). And for that, it is right that they are punished. Hard.

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BakedBeans said:
Even then, they were not fixing games, just influencing which ref they had.

I sincerely hope that's a joke.

BakedBeans, if you can so easily overlook the gravity of this cheating, then I really must question your moral fibre.

Honesty is always more important than winning. It's a shame that not everyone seems to agree.
 
Atlasland said:
The punishments were certainly not too harsh. If anything AC Milan's punishment is too lenient - though it's hardly suprising, seeing as how the club president is Silvio Berlusconi, one of the most powerful men in Italy.


isn't it ironic that in a match fixing scandal where the prosecutors want justice, the club that got the most lenient penalty is the one whose chairman could corrupt the ruling. It makes a mockery of the whole country.
 
Applespider said:
They've said they will be appealing the ruling. Perhaps the points differential will be reduced slightly as a sop during the appeal?

Looks like we called it right.

Lazio and Fiorentina now both stay in Serie A but with larger point differentials, AC Milan get their penalty cut but Juventus stay in Serie B although do get the points sop which should mean they avoid relegation to Serie C
 
Applespider said:
Looks like we called it right.

Lazio and Fiorentina now both stay in Serie A but with larger point differentials, AC Milan get their penalty cut but Juventus stay in Serie B although do get the points sop which should mean they avoid relegation to Serie C

Which basically means that Milan could even play the Champions League and Juventus will probably be up in the Serie A the next season.
Now if I had a top club in Europe I'd refuse to play Milan in the Champions League. This entire thing is a joke. It's like a clap on the butt and a "don't do it again" nothing more.
 
Diatribe said:
Which basically means that Milan could even play the Champions League and Juventus will probably be up in the Serie A the next season.
Now if I had a top club in Europe I'd refuse to play Milan in the Champions League. This entire thing is a joke. It's like a clap on the butt and a "don't do it again" nothing more.

Agree with this. Punishments are too light now.
 
MongoTheGeek said:
Probably not that there is much comparison, in the US such things have been dealt with lifetime bans...

Harsh but fair :D



But are any of you surprised that the punishments were reduced? AC Milan could even be in the Champions League this season, which means that they haven't really had a financial punishment.

Could Berlusconi have pulled a few strings behind the scene? ;)
 
Diatribe said:
Which basically means that Milan could even play the Champions League and Juventus will probably be up in the Serie A the next season.
Now if I had a top club in Europe I'd refuse to play Milan in the Champions League. This entire thing is a joke. It's like a clap on the butt and a "don't do it again" nothing more.

sounds more like a "be careful with that phone" and a wink.

can uefa refuse them (AC milan)?
 
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